The Californians

Raymond Neher began his art career as a figurative painter, with works that represented his life first in New York, and later in San Francisco where he moved to in 1973, catching the tail end of the hippie movement which was well into the "dawning of the age of Aquarius".

His works from this period are wonderful representations of the fashions of the late 1960s and early 1970s.

The Californians
Acrylic on Canvas 36x48 inches
Raymond Nehar

In this piece titled "The Californians", Neher places himself under the arc of a rainbow and at the center of his "rainbow family". (Neher is the figure in the center in blue overalls and pink bandanna).

In naming the piece "The Californians", Neher seems to be proclaiming his identity as "Californian", indicating that his move to the west coast represented not only a geographic move, but also a change in self-identification and affiliation on his part.